Before I start drawing Pumpkin as the teacher we all know her to be, I figured it might be a good idea to take a look at her past and show how she became the mare she is today.
 
So strap yourselves in, ladies and gentlemen, cause this is a fairly long and complicated story squashed into three short, summarizing sections~  
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When it comes to which twin is the better baker, Pumpkin Cake wins by a landslide. Where as Pound has the bizarre ability to somehow burn milk black, Pumpkin has barely burnt a dish in her life. Even as a filly, she showed exceptional talent when it came to anything baking related, from making strudels with just the right amount of cream, to decorating cakes so realistic looking that ponies do a double take as to whether the flowers are actually edible. As much as Pumpkin enjoyed baking with her mom, she seldom got the chance too due to her mom’s busy schedule. So for the most part Pumpkin baked alone- not that she minded, since she enjoyed having hours to herself to browse through every cook book in Ponyville and experiment with all sorts of different recipies. Most of her creations ended up in the main display case where it didn’t take long for it to draw in a lengthy line of customers eager to snatch up one of her exclusive, mouth-watering treats. It’s no wonder then that Pumpkin’s popularity grew faster than ponies could buy her desserts, and it seemed everyone in town knew what Pumpkin was destined to be; a talented baker, just like her parents. It was so obvious even Pumpkin was convinced it was her destiny. But as fate would have it, things didn’t turn out quite as expected.
 
You see, Pumpkin doesn’t just bake in her spare time. She also loves to read, a lot. Besides being the baker of the Twins, she’s also known for being one of the biggest book nerds you’ll ever meet. She’ll read anything, and I mean anything. From politics to fantasy adventure; from mystery novels to family genealogies. Learning new things is Pumpkins ultimate passion and she never tires of it, especially when she can apply it to her everyday life. Take magic for example. Even as a newborn, Pumpkin showed real tenacity when it came mastering spells and she never lost that spark as she grew up; instead she spent time honing her abilities through practice and many a late night reading of dusty spell books. At first, Pumpkin only did it for fun and for the challenge, never really thinking about doing anything with her talent. That is, until Twilight walked into the shop one day, only to witness Pumpkin pull off an impressive feat of magic that saved the shop from being completely dusted in thirty bags of flour. The alicorn couldn’t resist the idea of exploring Pumpkin’s unknown potential and immediately offered to take Pumpkin on as a part-time protege. A chance to learn from magic from one of the most powerful alicorns of all time was too sweet a deal for Pumpkin to pass up and she jumped at the offer faster than you can say banana split.
 
Time went by and although Pumpkin continued to create her confectionary concoctions, the greater part of her day was spent learning spells under Twilight’s teaching. But as much as she loved learning advanced magic and alchemy, her successes were nothing compared to her time with Twilight. The mare had a way of making even the most harrowing task fun and when Pumpkin was down in the dumps feeling defeated, Twilight would always support and encourage her to keep trying. Twilight’s teaching, instead of inspiring Pumpkin to pursue magic like she intended, actually inspired the filly to become a teacher like her role model. So when the chance came to enroll in Celestia’s Magic School- a chance that was readily available for a talented filly such as herself- Pumpkin surprised everyone with her refusal and added to their surprise by declaring she wanted to be a teacher. Now, Pumpkin likes to dream big and at first she had her sights fixed on a prestigious teaching position in Canterlot. Unfortunately, life threw her another curve ball in the form of Cheerilee’s early retirement. Though she was only 46, Cheerilee decided to leave early to go live with her sister and help her raise disabled colt in manehatten. This left a big gaping hole in Ponyville and so far no pony had stepped up to fill Cheerilee’s horseshoes. That is, until Pumpkin decided to help her hometown and stick close to her roots, rather than chasing her dream in the city. The task was daunting at first what with Cheerilee’s spotless legacy to live up to, but Pumpkin felt confident, as did the rest of Ponyville, that she was right pony for the job. Besides, she knew most of the students already and was even close with a few of them, so how hard could really it be?  
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so hard gurl you don’t even know  
you should run while you still have the chance
 

 
Pound’s Origin Story: WIP  
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